Mohamed Ben Sulayem has suggested that the 2025 Formula 1 season will have rotating FIA race directors in his latest statement.
The governing body director caused a stir in 2024 after he sacked former race director Niels Wittich with three races to go.
Wittich shared his duties with Eduardo Freitas for the 2023 season after the sudden passing of long-serving race director Charlie Whiting in 2019.
Rui Marques, a former race director for Formula 2 and Formula 3, took on the role for the remaining races of 2024.
During that time, he still maintained his role as F2 race director, as drivers and teams were left shocked by the FIA’s decision to leave itself depleted.
Appearing at an FIA event at former Spanish Grand Prix venue Jarama on Friday, Ben Sulayem has now revealed that the organisation will depend on several officials to take on the role in 2025.
“Who and how many is a question we will know soon, in the next few days,” he reportedly told Spanish publication Marca.
“But for sure there will be new blood and there will be more than one [race director] – that’s for sure.
“There have been people learning, there have been people working behind all the time.
“You can’t just throw somebody into this big challenge.
“And then teams can complain, drivers can complain, but then they don’t want to pay for it.
“I’m being very, very honest and straight with you, this takes a lot of investment.
“It has taken us more than two and a half years to get to what we are achieving now.
“Do we have the results? We will know the results when the season starts.”
Ben Sulayem: ‘It’s easy to blame the FIA’
As well as the departure of Wittich, the FIA let go of race steward Johnny Herbert recently stating his role as a media analyst clashed with his work as an official.
After more backlash with the latest departure, the Emirati former rally driver believes the organisation has been unfairly treated.
He added: “It is very important – what if the race director decides not to go or if he gets sick?
“It’s the same as the FIA.
“If something happens to me tomorrow, the FIA will continue to function without me, so this has to be a system.
“It’s not about individuals, there are a lot of mistakes and then you blame the FIA.
“It’s easy to blame the FIA.
“Why can’t you be productive in your criticism and say: ‘How can we find a solution? But where is the solution?’
“The solution is in training, the solution is to bring people in.”
FIA hire people based on ‘merit and credibility’
Adding to his plans for 2025, Ben Sulayem rejected the notion of meeting diversity quotas merely for appearances.
He explained: “Is it about diversity? No, we talk about diversity and we say they say: ‘You bring this from this country or this woman or something.’
“That’s an insult.
“We don’t have women because we have to take 30 per cent, we take women on the basis of merit and credibility because they are good.
“We hire non-European people from other countries because they are good, they are trained, they have the passion to compete, not because I have to have this colour, this religion.
“Then you won’t have a good FIA, a strong FIA.
“You will have a weak one because you will not deliver what you promise.
“For us, it’s a big challenge.”
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